‘Whitney’ Movie Nabs Big Ratings For Lifetime

Lifetime netted ratings gold with the premiere of their controversial biopic, Whitney. The movie based on the late Whitney Houston’s life directed by Angela Bassett scored 4.5 million in total viewers becoming Lifetime’s most watched movie since their remake of Flowers in the Attic. The film starring Yaya DaCosta as the legendary singer/actress also snagged 2.1 million viewers in the coveted 18-49 demo. 91 percent of the movie’s audience stuck around to watch the special, Bobby Brown: Remembering Whitney, which scored 4.1 million in total viewers with 1.8 million in the 18-49 key demo. The special featured an exclusive interview with Brown, who gave details on his life with Whitney. During the interview, Brown made stunning allegations that both he and Whitney cheated throughout their tumultuous 14 years of marriage. The “My Prerogative” singer told Entertainment Tonight’sShaun Robinson:

There was infidelity in the marriage on both of our parts. That’s hard to swallow for both of us. I just think when two people that love each other as much as we loved each other–when they start drifting apart, different people come into the situation, into the scenario, and we make mistakes. People make mistakes; we’re human.

The programming block concluded with Whitney’s mentor record executive Clive Davis hosting Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances netting 3.2 million in total viewers and 1.3 million in the demo. While Lifetime is basking in the 11.8 in total viewers for the night’s events, the network came under fire from Whtiney’s family for the unauthorized flick. Whitney’s sister-in-law Pat Houston released a scathing letter prior to the movie’s release saying:

If you watch this movie, watch it knowing that Lifetime is notorious for making bad biopics of deceased celebrities and brace yourself for the worst.